Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 KINGSVILLE, Texas (March 14, 2017) –
Kaylie Upton made sure Oklahoma Christian remained on what has become one of the greatest runs in the softball program's history.
Upton's grand slam highlighted a five-run seventh-inning rally as the Lady Eagles completed a doubleheader sweep of Texas A&M-Kingsville with a 7-4 win at Hubert Field on Tuesday night. OC needed extra innings before edging the Javelinas 2-1 in the opener.
OC (19-9) will take an 11-game winning streak – its longest since 2014 – into a doubleheader on Thursday at No. 8-ranked Angelo State (Texas), which is 26-1 and has won 22 straight games. The OC program record for consecutive wins is 13, accomplished four times, during the 1998, 2003, 2011 and 2014 seasons.
In the second game, OC led 2-0 before TAMUK (13-11) scored three runs in the fifth, two on a double by Arabella Acosta-Cantu. The Javelinas added another run in the sixth and led 4-2 entering the top of the seventh inning.
TAMUK reliever Breanna Smith (6-5) recorded one out before consecutive singles by
Madison Nordyke, Haley Squire,
Niki Davidson and
Bridget White, the latter driving home a run to pull OC within 4-3. Upton followed by sending a Smith pitch over the right-field wall for a grand slam that made it 7-5.
OC left-hander
Madison Hagood relieved Upton (5-0) in the circle to start the bottom of the seventh. Two singles to start the inning brought the potential tying run to the plate, but Hagood retired the next three batters on a lineout, a popup and a ground ball to pick up her third save of the season.
The opening game was equally as tense. Each team scored once in the third inning, with Davidson singling home
Sheridan Bond for OC and Randa Hatter doubling home Rachael Longoria for TAMUK.
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect for the nonconference game, each team placed a runner on second base to start the eighth inning. For OC, it was Bond, and she went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Nordyke before scoring on a single to center field by Squier, who earlier in the day was named as the Heartland Conference's hitter of the week.
Lindsey Angelico was TAMUK's runner and also advanced to third on a sacrifice, but Hagood (9-4) wrapped up a complete-game performance by coaxing a popup from Longoria before striking out Sarah Gilbert. Hagood finished with nine strikeouts for the Lady Eagles.
Gilbert (3-1) took the loss for the Javelinas after throwing three innings of relief.
